Suzuki rose through the ranks with Urawa Red Diamonds in Japan. He advanced to their senior squad in February 2019 and has since made 29 first-team appearances, maintaining 12 clean sheets.
Suzuki has impressed for Urawa Reds, earning him a spot on the Japan U21 team.
On July 6, it was revealed that Manchester United were looking at the kid to replace Dean Henderson, who was set to leave the club.
Man United quickly made contact with both Urawa Reds and Suzuki himself in order to reach a dual agreement on his transfer fee and personal terms.
According to the Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils eventually agreed on a deal with Urawa Reds for the starlet’s transfer. He might have been Manchester United’s fourth summer signing, following the departures of Mason Mount, Andre Onana, and Rasmus Hojlund.
However, he has turned down the opportunity to come to England and has chosen a different path. Surprisingly, Suzuki has chosen to join Belgian club Sint-Truidense V.V, or STVV as they are also known.
STVV finished 12th in the Belgian premier flight last season and are presently third after winning both of their games this season.
Zion Suzuki chooses a different professional route than Manchester United.
While it is disappointing that Man United lost Suzuki to a lesser-known club, the move makes sense for the shot-stopper himself.
Suzuki was warned that if he joined Manchester United this summer, he would be loaned out for the first two years of his contract.
Man Utd executives believed Suzuki needed this amount of time to obtain senior-level experience before making an impact in the Premier League.
Suzuki has instead decided to join a squad with less pressure. This could enable him thrive and progress before perhaps joining a top team in a future transfer window.
According to the MEN, despite Suzuki’s omission, Manchester United are still seeking for a keeper to back up new recruit Onana.
Henderson is still on Ten Hag’s team, but that is not the plan for the future. When Nottingham Forest agreed to sign Matt Turner with Arsenal recently, there were fears that the deal might derail Manchester United’s plans to move Henderson back to the City Ground.
However, according to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United will begin a new round of talks with Forest since Steve Cooper wants Henderson in addition to Turner.